First photo of The Last of Us cast and crew together ahead of season 2 filming!

It's an exciting time for fans of genre TV, as big shows like The Witcher and The Last of Us are finally about to start filming on long-delayed seasons. The Last of Us debuted in early 2021 to rave reviews, but due to last year's Hollywood labor movement, the production had to be put on pause rather than diving right into season 2. The show is scheduled to begin filming the follow-up season, based on The Last of Us Part II video game by Naughty Dog, in February.

There's even photographic proof that things are moving along! This week the very first image of The Last of Us cast and crew on site in Vancouver, Canada, where the show is filmed, surfaced. Check it out:

This image was taken on January 23 at a restaurant called Zarak in Vancouver and shared out on their Instagram account. I spy showrunner Craig Mazin on the left and producer Jacqueline Lesko on the right, along with Bella Ramsey (Ellie) and series newcomers Isabela Merced (Dina) and Young Mazino (Jesse) in the center. I don't recognize any of the other people, but I assume at least one of them is affiliated with the restaurant.

Conspicuously absent from the photo is Pedro Pascal, who plays Joel. Without going too deep down the spoiler rabbit hole, The Last of Us Part II is much more sharply focused on Ellie and a few new characters than in the first game, which formed the basis for season 1 of the HBO show. We'll still see Joel in season 2, but Ramsey, Merced and Mazino will probably have a lot more filming to do than Pascal this time around. Maybe he just hasn't gotten to Canada yet?

The Last of Us Part II is a heavy, emotional game, and I'm expecting much the same of The Last of Us season 2 on HBO. I'm already starting to get the feels just looking at this picture; fan news account @TheLastofUsNews on Twitter shared the above photo of Ramsey, Merced and Mazino side-by-side with a picture of Dina, Ellie and Jesse from the game, and it's pretty much a dead ringer:

Yeah, I'm not sure if I'm ready for all the trauma those three are going to go through in The Last of Us season 2.

The second season of The Last of Us is slated to begin filming in February. HBO has confirmed that they expect it to air sometime in 2025, so settle in for a long wait. And hey, if you're antsy, you can always check out The Last of Us Part II Remastered, which just released on PlayStation 5.

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